You see the showy guys at the gym, bench-pressing their max and grunting just to thrust the weight upward.

They're doing it wrong, a lot of them.

Danny Lee, who runs a personal-training business called OC Life Fitness out of the Next Level Fitness gym in Irvine, says a common mistake is using the shoulders instead of the chest muscles. "Your chest is always gonna be stronger than your shoulders," he says.

Bad form can begin from the start of the lift, when you (hopefully with help from a spotter) nudge the barbell and plates off the barbell holder. While lying on their backs, many lifters hold the barbell too high, directly above their chins. When the weight is pushed up (photo 1), too much strain is put on the anterior deltoid muscles, the long, triangular-shaped muscles on the front, inner part of the shoulder. "You're not firing the chest muscles," the pectoralis majors, Lee said.

Over the long term, this can lead to a shoulder injury. And "you see people benching 225 pounds, and their chest still is under-developed," Lee said.

Instead, pull your arms a little closer to your sides, making the space about 45 degrees. Move the hands more toward your lower body. This fires the large chest muscles, the pectoralis majors (photo 2).

Other tips: Arch your back a little, bringing the shoulder blades back. Don't plant your feet on the floor, and for goodness' sake, don't hoist your legs up while you lift (photo 3). Instead, bring the feet in a little toward the bench, and keep only the toes on the floor. This allows you to use force all the way up through your arms.

One final bit of advice: Don't lock your elbows at the top of the press.

Right: Bring down the arms a little so you push up with the pecs, not the shoulders.
Wrong: Pushing the bar up when it's near your chin is too high; puts too much strain on the shoulders.
Wrong: With feet up, or even with the soles flat on the floor, you lose leverage to push the weight up.
Right: Toes on the ground, feet pulled slightly in.

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